A.

Connectors

There are 6 major categories of connectors: DIN, USB, FireWire, DB, RJ, and Audio. Give examples of
components/peripherals that use each:

A. Din
a. Keyboards
b. Mice

B. USB
a. Printers
b. Digital Cameras
c. Scanners

C. FireWire
a. Tape Drives
b. Film Readers
c. Storage Devices

D. DB
a. Monitors
b. PDA’s
c. Printers

E. RJ
a. Network Cards

F. Audio
a. Speaker
b. Microphone

B. The CPU:

A. What is the purpose of the heatsink and fan? Why is it necessary?

A heat sink and fan are used to keep the processor cool. This is necessary so it does not overheat and become
damaged.
B. Select 2 common processors – one Intel and AMD. What is the Maximum Operating Temperature (report in both
F˚ and C˚).
Intel Core 2 Duo E8190 – 72.4 C˚ and 163.2 F˚
AMD Dual Core Opertron 275 – 67 C˚ and 152.6 F˚
C. How do you determine the operating temperature of your CPU?
Some motherboards monitor CPU temperatures.

C. The Motherboard:

A. What is an integrated motherboard?

Integrated motherboards are motherboards with ports already built in and do not require separate adapters.
B. What is one benefit of an integrated motherboard?
Ports on an integrated motherboard are faster than those of an expansion to the motherboard.
C. What is one drawback of an integrated motherboard?
The drawback is if the port goes bad, then the port must be replaced by an adapter that has the same port.
D. What is a clock cycle? What does it do?
A clock cycle is from one point on the sine wave to the next point that is located on the same point on the sine
wave later. Previously data was only sent once during the clock cycle, but new technologies have move past this.
E. What are the four stages of the pipelining cycle?
a. Fetch
b. Decode
c. Execute
d. Writeback
B. What is cache?
Cache Memory is a type of memory that is designed to increase the speed of CPU operations.
C. What is over clocking?
Over clocking is changing the front side bus speed and/or multiplier to boost CPU and system speed.
D. What is POST (Power On Self Test)?
POST perform a basic test of the individual hardware components such as the motherboard, RAM, memory
chips, keyboard, floppy drive and hard drive.
E. Where can you find the meaning POST codes (beeps)?
a. Motherboard Manual
b. Computer Manufacturer Website
c. BIOS manufacturer
A. Essentials
a. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)
What is the purpose of the BIOS?
Bios
The BIOS instructs the system on how to start up. It tests the system to ensure that all necessary hardware is
present and functional. It loads the operating system into RAM. They also have a set of functions that control
certain peripherals. (-1 pt)

How do you update the BIOS?

Updating BIOS involves replacing one or more chips on older motherboards or downlading an updated
file from the internet and executing that file according to the BIOS manufacturer instructions.
b. CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor)
What type of information is stored on the CMOS?
The CMOS holds the settings configured through BIOS. The computer also checks for information about
the components that are supposed to be installed.
How do you update the CMOS?
By setting up the configurations in BIOS.

B. Batteries
a. What is battery memory (memory effect)?
The battery could not be fully recharged if it was not fully charged.
b. What is the difference between Ni-Cd batteries and Ni-MH batteries?
NiMH batteries can store 50% more power.
c. What are 3 benefits of Li-ion batteries?
i. Very Light
ii. Hold a charge longer
iii. Do not suffer the memory effect.

C. Interrupt Requests (IRQs)

a. Define interrupt request
A number assigned to expansion adapters or ports so orderly communication can occur between the
device or port and the microprocessor.
b. What is APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller)?
A controller that supports more IRQ’s. APICs allow more flexibility than the traditional system which
did not allow sharing interrupts between devices.
c. What is DMA (Direct Memory Access)?
“A DMA channel is a number is a number assigned to an adapter. The DMA assignment allows the adapter to bypass the
CPU and communicate directly with RAM. Transferring the data directly to memory speeds up transfers. Devices that
frequently take advantage of DMA are drives, tape backup units, and multimedia adapters such as sound cards. A
drawback to DMA transfers is that the processor may be put on hold until the DMA data transfer is complete. Well-written
software allows the CPU to function periodically during the DMA operation.”

D. Disassembly
a. How do you identify Pin 1 on the ribbon/cable?
A visible stripe is present, and an arrow is typically displayed.
b. Why is it important to handle a hard drive carefully?
The hard drive can be damaged due to the small components that read and write being shifted.

E. Power supplies
a. What is voltage?
The measure of the pressure pushing electrons through a circuit.
b. What are amps?
The measure of current, or electrons going through a circuit every second.
c. What is wattage?
Measure of electrical work being done, or voltage x amps.
d. What are ohms?
Resistance in an electrical circuit. Can be tested to see if a fuse is good.
e. What are the technical names and number of pins of 3 basic types of connectors on a PC power supply that supply
power to peripherals?
i. 24 pin ATX Power connector
ii. 15 pin SATA connector (PCI 100 – 124 pins) – 2 pts
iii. 4 pin Molex
f. What is a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)? What does it do?
A (backup power source) device that supplies power, and can transition immediately to battery power
should the power go out.

F. DRAM
a. What is RAM (Random Access Memory)?
RAM is volatile memory, the information is lost when the computer is turned off.
b. List 3 different types of RAM
 i. SDRAM
ii. DDR
iii. DDR2
c. How do you determine what type of RAM is used by your computer/motherboard?
By referring to the system documentation or examining and comparing to other chips installed.
d. How do you determine how much RAM your motherboard currently has installed?
In windows XP go to My Computer, right click it and hit properties. Or type in MSINFO32 and scroll
down to see the information.
e. How do you determine the maximum amount of RAM that can be installed on your motherboard?
By checking the system motherboard documentation.
f. What is the difference between parity and non-parity memory?
Parity memory checks the accuracy of the data going in or out of the memory chips. Although the chip
can detect errors, it cannot correct them. Non Parity chips do not use error checking, as the memory
circuitry provides error corrections.
g. For what purpose would you use buffered/registered memory?
Registered memory would be idea for anything that needed absolute accuracy. An example that comes
to mind would be a Server, as it has to ensure all processes and data emitted are of the most accurate
nature.

G. Hard drives
a. Explain the relationship between cylinders, heads, and sectors/tracks.
An individual track is a concentric circle, starting from the outside, it is labeled 0. All 0’s on multiple
surfaces make up a cylinder. Each track is also divided up into sectors, and read write heads utilize
this method of segregation to determine where information is located.
b. Explain hard drive partitioning. List 2 reasons to partition a hard drive.
Partitioning divides the hard drive, so it is seen by the computer as more than one drive. This can be
used to segregate Operating systems, allowing ease of backup or various other uses.
c. Explain hard drive fragmentation.
As a hard drive becomes filled, the multiple sectors that make up a file, called clusters, may not be
adjacent to each other. This causes the system to keep record of where they are scattered, and also
causes less effective use of the read/write heads.

H. Optical Media
a. How much data can a CD hold?
628 MB and higher
b. How much data can the following DVD formats hold?
i. DVD-5?
4.7 GB
ii. DVD-9?
8.5 GB
iii. DVD-10?
9.4 GB
iv. DVD-18?
17.1 GB
v. DVD-ROM
4.7 GB
c. How much data can a Blu-ray disc hold?
i. Single-layer disc?
27 GB
ii. Dual-layer disc?
50 GB
d. What is the most common connection used by optical drives? What is the most commonly supported standard
today (hint – don’t use your book)?
Optical drives usually use PATA or SATA connections and the ATAPI standard.

e. What is the process for burning files to cd/dvd/Blu-ray (the process you use – not the process of the player)?
Disk is inserted, then the application loads the information that the drive will burn onto the disk.
f. What is an ISO file/image (.iso)?
An ISO is a copy of a CD that is virtual. It can be burned multiple times to make copies of the CDs, or
loaded by programs like Daemon Tools.

I. Sound
a. List and explain 5 different sound file formats (i.e. MP3)
i. MIDI – an synthesized sound file supported by the sound board.
ii. WAV – used commonly by CD’s
iii. MP3 – an alternative to WAVs which compresses to 1/12 of the original size
iv. AAC – slowly replacing MP3’s, as it has better compression
v. MP4

J. Scanners
a. List and describe 3 different types of scanners
 i. Flatbed – most popular can scan standard documents.
ii. Sheefted – Document is loaded through a document feeded
iii. Handheld – Portable hand unit that slowly moves across the document, requires steady hand.

K. Video/Graphics
a. Define the following terms:
i. Resolution
The maximum number of pixels displayed
ii. Response rate
How fast a pixel can change colors in miliseconds
iii. Bandwidth
The communications channel for the data flow
iv. Nits
“How much light the monitor can produce expressed in cd/m2 (candelas per square meter) or nits.” (pg 360 – see
Luminance)

b. Describe 3 benefits of AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

i. Can directly access RAM on the motherboard
ii. Helps with video intensive apps
iii. Also uses RAM on the adapter itself
c. Describe 3 benefits of PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect express)
i. Increased increment rate to 5.0 GT/s
ii. Full duplex operation
iii. Utilizes high speed buses

B. Windows Vista Home Premium Requirements (Recommended)

a. Processor speed?
1 gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
b. RAM?
1 GB
c. Hard drive?
40 GB with at least 15 GB available
d. Graphics support?
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with WDDM and 128 MB of graphics memory (32 MB for Home Basic)

C. Windows 7 Requirements (Recommended)

a. Processor speed?
1 gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
b. RAM?
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit).
c. Hard drive?
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit
d. Graphics support?
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
e. Can you upgrade to Windows 7 from Vista? From XP?
It is possible from both
D. System Monitor
a. What does system monitor do?
System monitor is a program that monitors such things as processor or memory utilization.
b. How can you use system monitor for problems?
It is possible to use system monitor to see if resources are being over used, or to see if any items.
E. System Restore
a. What is system restore?
System Restore creates a restore point of a device, in which an image is used to clone the system as it
previously was.
b. How are restore points created?
Restore points are created by copying many different things, ranging from the registry, drives, file
types, applications, etc. These are stored into a directory for access at a later time.

F. Local Area Networks

a. What is the difference between a server based network and a peer to peer network?
A peer to peer network is between client devices, while server based networks use a server machine
for communication.
b. When would you use a server based network?
In a large scale LAN, in which multiple users will need to access files or email
c. When would you use a peer to peer network?
A Peer to Peer Network would be typical when money, or just practicality is not necessary for
transmitting data. Such as sharing a file to only one user.
d. What is the most common physical (wired) network topology? Why?
Star is the most common, due to redundancy and availability.
G. OSI Model
a. List and briefly explain each of the seven layers of the OSI model.
i.Physical – This layer is the transmission of the signal in binary.
ii.Data Link – This layer determines path based on physical addresses (MAC) to send the frame
iii.Network – The Network layer determines the path to send the packet based on the destination
network address.
iv. Transport – This layer is used for multiple things, including flow control, and end to end
connections (TCP)
v. Session – Responsible for opening, managing and closing connections between applications.
vi. Presentation – This layer allows the data to be understood by the application.
vii. Application - layer functions typically include identifying communication partners, determining
resource availability, and synchronizing communication
H. Network Protocols
a. What is a network protocol?
A Network Protocol is a set of rules used by devices to communicate throughout a network.
b. Compare TCP/IP to the OSI model
TCP/IP is basically just a condensed version of the OSI Model. It combines the 7 layers into 4, and
varies slightly. It’s four layers are Application, Transport, Internet and Link layers.

I. Network Addressing
a. What is a MAC (Media Access Control) Address? How do you find your computer’s MAC address?
This is the address found on the actual Network Interface Card. You can find the actual address on a PC
by going to Command Prompt and typing ipconfig –all

J. Wireless networks
a. What is MAC address filtering?
When only specific MAC addresses are authorized to access a wireless network.
b. What is an SSID (Service Set Identifier)?
A set of up to 32 alphanumeric characters which differentiate wireless networks.
c. List and describe the wireless network standards
i. 802.11 – MAN were the original purpose, operated at the 2.4GHz range and ran at 1 to 2 Mbps.
ii. 802.11a – Oddly came after the 802.11b standard. Up to 54 Mbps, but is incompatible with
802.11b. Operates in the 5-6GHz range
iii. 802.11b – Operates between the 2.4 to 2.48 GHz range and has speeds up to 11 Mbps
iv. 802.11g – Operates up to 54 Mbps and is backwards compatible with 802.11b
v. 802.11i – Proposed standard for wireless security.
vi. 802.11n – Specification with speeds 4 times faster than 802.11g. Uses multiple antennae
d. What is the strongest WiFi encryption?
WPA2

K. Security Policy
a. List and describe 7 security policy elements
i. Physical Access
ii. Antivirus
iii. Acceptable Usage
iv. Password
v. Email usage
vi. Remote Access
vii. Emergency Procedures / disaster recovery

L. Protecting operating system and data

a. List 3 things you can do to protect your operating system and data
i. Backup data
ii. Update regularly
iii. Encrypt files that need to be protected

A. Troubleshooting
a. List and briefly describe each of the troubleshooting steps
i. Recreate the problem –Have the user show you the problem, or if not possible to describe it.
ii. Divide into Software or Hardware – Try to determine if the issue is software, hardware related,
or perhaps both. Basic senses can be used for this.
iii. Divide and Conquer – Divide it into logical areas of the problem.
iv. Repair the problem, or test another theory – If the tested theory is not correct, test another
logical area from step 3 to repair. Otherwise, just repair the problem.
v. Test the solution – See if the solution works on computer and if the computer is experiencing
further problems, as well as documenting it.
vi. Report feedback to the user – As it says, tell the user what the problem was, and inform them
how it originated and the solution in a professional manner.
b. Why is it important to have the user recreate the problem?
Because it could be a totally different issue from what they’re having problems. IE:> Not being able to
access their external hard drive… when it is simply unplugged.
 c. Where can the meaning of the motherboard beep/POST codes be found?
In the motherboard manual, the computer manufacturer website, or the BIOS manufacturer
d. Why is it important to document the repair process?
So that further issues similar to this can be easily repaired or acted upon.
B. Viruses
a. How many new viruses are discovered each month?
According to Symantec, over 1,000 on average.
b. How often should you check for updates for your anti-virus software?
Judging by that figure, at least bi-monthly if not weekly.
c. List and describe 5 different types (categories) of viruses.
i. Worms – Causes undesired consumption of system resources, whether it be memory, disk
space or processor usage.
ii. Trojans – A backdoor into a system. Allows easy access for unauthorized remote users.
iii. Bombs – Causes an effect on a specific characteristic. IE> CPU usage or a time or date (July
4th)
iv. Zombies – Causes the computer to act with other computers and infect others. Commonly used
in Denial of Service attacks.
v. Polymorphic – A virus which changes its coding in some form in order for an attempt to
disguise itself from antivirus software.
d. Define malware?
Malicious software which causes undesired actions in a system.

1. What is the correct boot sequence for the computer

a. POST executes
b. BIOS executes
c. Bootstrap loader (NTLDR)
d. Device Drivers Loads and Services start
e. OS Kernel Loads

2. John’s brother decided to play a trick on him by putting a password in CMOS that stops the computer from booting. What
can John do to solve this problem?
He could ask his brother to give him the password… or he could jumper the pins together. The motherboard
manual gives specifics on jumpering the pins to remove the password.

3. Ralph has a buggy computer that locks up at odd moments and reboots spontaneously. He suspects the motherboard.
How can he test it?
He can check the settings, check to see if the components on the board are good and lastly replace the
motherboard. It would also be a good idea to document the testing.

4. Jan wants to connect a PATA hard drive to the SATA controller in her new computer. What she need to do this?
Jan will need a converter

5. How do you check your hard drive for errors? (What Windows tool can you use?)
Error Checking can be used to check a hard drive for errors. Under My Computer, right click and go to
properties, then go to tools. Error checking is the top tool typically under this option.

6. To what does the term multisession refer when discussion optical media?
Multisession is the ability to support multiple sessions, such as storing data on one session, and adding to it
later.

7. What will happen if you do not complete the activation process for windows XP?
It will work for 30 days, but after that, it will not work until the product is activated.

8. What should you do if Windows locks up during the installation?

Remove any non-essential hardware, including network cards, modems and USB devices and restart the
installation again. Re-Install the non-essential hardware once Windows is loaded.

9. What operating system is made freely available under the GNU public license?
Linux

10. What is the difference between an upgrade and a clean install?

An upgrade is when an older OS is already on the machine, a clean install is putting an OS on a machine that
doesn’t have one, or removes the current OS.

11. Which Windows Registry root key contains information about file types?
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT contains the file associations and file links.

12. What is a batch file?

A batch file has the extension of .BAT that executes multiple commands when a single command is entered at a
prompt.
13. Bill loaded a new video card on his system but now everything looks bad. What should he do?
First, the simplest solution should be tested. All the cables should be checked to make sure the connections are
attached securely. If that is not the source of the problem, then the Bill should ensure the computer has the
appropriate video drives, and check the resolution settings as well.

14. Your Windows Vista system fails to boot up. You think that the boot sector has become corrupted. You start the system
using the set of boot disks and then launch the Recovery Console. Which command should you use to write a new boot
sector into the system partition?
Fixboot and then the drive you wish to use. If no partition is followed after the command, then the partition
you’re in currently will have a boot sector written into.

15. What happens to bus speed and power usage when you plug multiple devices into a USB hub?
If the USB hub and if the devices are self-powered, then power usage will go up and potentially max out. Also,
the bus speed will go down as well when multiple devices are connected.

16. If your printer correctly prints a test page, but prints gibberish when printing your term paper, what is the probable error?
This is most likely due to the correct drivers not being installed. The gibberish is probably the PDL commands
being sent as normal text instead of being interpreted as commands.

17. You are setting up a wired network in your office. You send your assistant out to purchase cable. What type of cable
should you tell her to purchase? Why?
Category 5e cable it is the most commonly used cable with networking devices to date, and is cost effective.

18. Explain how the OSI layers compare to the TCP/IP layers.
The OSI uses a higher step count in it’s model. It has 7 layers, the Physical, Datalink, Network, Transport,
Session, Presentation and Application layers. The TCP/IP model condenses the functions of these 7 layers into
4 layers, the Network Interface, Internet, Transport and Application layers.

19. What is the difference between FAT and NTFS?

NFTS supports hard drives larger than 32GB and has security.

20. Roger downloaded a game off the internet and installed it. As soon as he started to play, he got a blue screen of death.
After he rebooted, his Documents folder was gone. What probably happened?
There could have been a problem within the registry, such as junk files and the data could have built up and
caused an error within. This can cause the blue screen of death, and the Documents folder to disappear.